Gaithersburg, MD—The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has put out reference materials for supplements that include Vaccinium berries. New to its library are a suite of quality assurance tools for the following dietary supplement ingredients: cranberry, blueberry, bilberry and mixed berry.

Buckinghamshire, UK—Elevated prices among commodities such as sugar are forcing food manufacturers to reformulate products with alternative sweeteners. Despite the general trend away from high-fructose corn syrup (HCFS), some companies are opting to use this sweetener in an effort to avoid the soaring price of sugar. Others are looking to up-and-coming sweeteners such as agave and stevia to sidestep the inflation.

Hoboken, NJ—New research published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture indicates there may be a new application for a well-known branded extract of the French maritime pine tree bark (Pycnogenol from Natural Health Sciences, based here).

Las Vegas, NV—More than 1,200 exhibit booths (with 779 total companies) and a packed educational session drew 8,500 industry members to this year’s SupplySide West tradeshow and convention, held here from October 19 to 23.

Kaiseraugst, Switzerland — Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases printed what is being called the first published human study that shows resveratrol supplementation offers the heart health benefits of the French Paradox.

Oslo, Norway—Krill oil has received a lot of attention lately as another way to boost one’s DHA/EPA intake. Now, industry has additional data to draw on about the benefits of krill oil for joint health.